My low carb version of a cottage pie is the ultimate in comfort food that won’t make you feel uncomfortable after eating it! Hope you enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 a medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup green peas (I use frozen)
• 1/4 to 1/3 chicken broth or water
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce (optional, gives a bit of umami)
• Glucomannan (powdered konjac root, optional)
• Dash of seasoning salt of your choice (I use this one: )
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 lb cauliflower, roughly cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 lb turnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons butter, ghee, schmaltz, or other fat
• 3-5 tablespoons milk, cream, or non-dairy milk
• Garlic powder
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large pot over medium-low and add the diced onion and saute until fragrant.
2. Add in the beef and increase the heat to medium-high. Crumble the meat into very small pieces as you brown it. If desired, drain off any excess fat.
3. Season the beef with the seasoning salt. Stir to combine. The meat mixture is ready for the next step when it’s browned on all sides (even better if deeply browned) and the onions are slightly softened.
4. Add in the peas, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste, and combine well, mixing in the tomato paste until completely incorporated. Add the chicken broth or water a little at a time. You may not need it all. Cover the pot and let simmer on medium-low for about 8 minutes or until the meat is tender. If more liquid is needed after the 8 minutes, add it. 
5. Optional step: If using the glucomannan powder (to thicken), finely dust a small amount over the top (no more than 1/8 of teaspoon) and remove the pot from the heat. Let it stand a couple of minutes, then stir. This powder works similarly to cornstarch to thicken the sauce. 
6. In another pot (about 5 quarts), fill it to almost the top with water, salt it lightly, and bring it to the boil.
7. Add the cut cauliflower, turnips, and 1 large or 2 small bay leaves. Turn the heat down slightly and let the vegetables boil until fork-tender. Remove the bay leaves.
8. Drain the vegetables and return to the pot, with the heat still on. Stir the vegetables around and let the heat continue to dry off the water and let it evaporate, being careful not to burn the pot or the vegetables.
9. Add the butter and mash the vegetables with a potato masher or a blender. I use an immersion (stick) blender and it works great.
10. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, garlic powder.
11. In a pie dish or baking dish, spread out the meat mixture and top with a generous layer of the mashed veggies. If you like, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and parsley. 

This will make about 4-5 servings. I put mine into small glass containers and freeze for quick lunches or dinners.

Notes

The cheese is optional. I left it out the last two times I made this and it was still great! You can also make this completely dairy-free if you swap out the butter for ghee, chicken fat or coconut oil, and place the milk or cream with a non-dairy milk, to make it dairy-free. 

To freeze, it’s best if you make freeze individual portions (or small dishes that serve two),  and wait for the dish to chill completely in the fridge, then move them to the freezer. To reheat, place in the fridge a day before to thaw. You can reheat the dishes in the oven or microwave as desired. I place a spatter guard on top when microwaving. 

Sauteing the onion

Browning the beef

After the beef mixture is done simmering

Boiling the cauliflower & turnips

Adding the butter

   This is the black truffle salt I like

Mashing it up!

This is how creamy I get my veg mashed

Final product (in small containers for individual portions)

       What it looks like if I add the grated Parmesan cheese and bake (or reheat in the microwave). It gets all cheesy and bubbly on top!